There’s a lot of crazy stuff out there on Kickstarter. Some of it is just plain ridiculous, but there are a lot of good ideas out there too. While we tend to shy away from plugging Kickstarter projects here at Bicycle Times, this bicycle touring board game is pretty darn cool.

The Open Road is a strategic game designed to simulate cross-country bicycle travel in the United States. The game begins with each player drawing “Route” cards to determine their start and end points. Each player starts with a number of “Energy” and “Money” cubes. Money can be exchanged for Energy, and Energy is expended to move across the board towards the opposite coast.

“Playing Cards,” which can be drawn during a player’s turn, determine some of the experiences each player encounters along the route, such as gaining extra money, a better tent, headwinds or a mechanical failure and more. “Motherlode Cards” offer extra advantages or disadvantages when used against another player. Both Playing Cards and Motherlode Cards can be played strategically throughout the game.

The first person to make it to the opposite coast wins, and the game is designed to be played with 2-4 people. More instructions and examples of gameplay can be found through a series of short videos on the Kickstarter site.

This campaign ends on July 4. Backers of $40 or more will receive The Open Road game set. I like board games and I like bikes, so I’m looking forward to trying it out!

The Faraday is a sophisticated city bike with the classic posture of an English 3-speed blended with the modernist design of the Dutch Vanmoof. With its Gates Carbon Belt Drive and Shimano Alfine 8 internally geared hub, it is a super low maintenance machine designed to get you from A to B in style.

Oh, and it has a motor.

Yes, the Faraday is an e-bike, though you might not notice at first glance. Born here in Portland from a team of industrial designers who wanted to make the ultimate city bike, Faraday first enlisted the help of master framebuilder Paul Sadoff, better known as the guy behind Rock Lobster Cycles. The prototype was entered in the 2011 edition of the Oregon Manifest challenge where it collected the People’s Choice award. The team wanted to give the people what they wanted, so they launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2012 that was fully funded within a week and went on to nearly double its initial target.

That capital led to the bike you see here. Available in three sizes, it sells for $3,499 as pictured, with accessories like a frame-mounted basket, a rear rack, secure axle nuts and more extras (each sold separately). You can custom spec a Faraday just as you’d like it on the Faraday website, then have it delivered ready-to-ride to your nearest dealer.

The steel frame houses a 250Wh lithium-ion battery inside the downtube, though it was originally designed to fit inside the second top tube. The motor is a 250 watt unit at the front hub, which allows the rest of the bike to use conventional, off-the-shelf parts.

The battery is not designed to be removed, though it can be if it needs servicing. This means you don’t have the ability to take the battery with you to charge it while the bike is parked somewhere else. A full charge takes approximately three hours. The charger attaches to the gray box at the rear of the bike, which houses the “brain” of the system. Holding down the button turns the bike on, and powers the full-time LED headlight and taillight.

The thumb switch controls the power boost, with three settings: off / low / high. Next to the thumb switch is the LED battery indicator light, which is fairly difficult to see (and photograph) during the day and impossible to see at night.

At 42 pounds, the Faraday isn’t the massive tank that many other e-bikes can be. In fact, I’ve been riding it quite a bit with everything turned off and it gets along just fine. On terrain that is flat or even remotely downhill, I switch off the motor to conserve the battery.

This is my first time commuting on an e-bike and I am completely smitten by the Faraday’s ability to get me where I want to go with minimal fuss. I think I’m going to have a hard time returning it when I must.

Keep an eye out for the full, long-term review in a future issue of Bicycle Times. If you want to make sure you don’t miss it, order a subscription today.

Not every adventure leads to far-off landscapes—most happen right in town. Green Guru designed the Hauler to bridge that gap and make it easy to get your stuff from A to B, no matter how far apart they are.

Similar in design and shape to other large saddlebags, the Hauler adds a few extra features to make it more compatible with city living. First up, there’s a U-lock holster underneath, it has a PVC liner for full waterproof protection, a waterproof zippered pocket for your keys and other valuables, and a shoulder strap so it’s easy to carry while off the bike.

Most Green Guru products are made from recycled bicycle tubes, and the Hauler will be available as well, but you can also grab one in this distinctive, up-cycled nylon version pictured here. Retail price is $100 for the nylon version, $125 for the recycled tube version. Order through the project’s KickStarter page for January delivery.